I learned to cope with the singular ethnic environment, although, I still wondered what had caused the transformation and why? It is true that when one door closes God opens another. As part of our teen worship ministry the young people would visit other churches for a program called youth night or we would go to summer camp with teens from churches in our denomination. This thrilled me. Typically these meeting would be held at suburban churches or campsites that were located far outside of the city. My friends and I would represent the diversity. We felt right at home unlike some other kids whose cultures were different, but their pigmentation was similar. I felt sorry for them because they did not have our diverse upbringing. We had met and made some awesome friends and were eager to see them every chance we could. I credit this outreach worship experience and my early upbringing with my ability to engage with multi-ethnic groups without the fear and suspicion that sometimes clouds other people’s interactions.

African-Americans and other ethnic groups have more in common than they have differences. I know the old saying, “The most racist hour in America is during church service.” That has been true for a long time in America. It’s true some of us have different worship rituals. Some of us hold worship so sacred, that we can’t entertain the thought of trying something different in order to promote self awareness, togetherness and understanding. It seems so simple to me. It just takes a willingness to know, the desire to try and understand those that are different from us. I am fortunate that my upbringing instilled a yearning to learn, know about, embrace and understand others. My sincere hope and prayer is that others will realize it isn’t as hard as they might think. After all, we are all God’s children.

Thank you for allowing me to share how my spiritual journey has shaped and influenced my life. I hope God is smiling!